11/19/2013

Did the Obama administration doctor unemployment data to help him win reelection?

For the Obama administration to have done something this outrageous rand this dangerous, they must have believed this data made a difference in the presidential race. I had been asked by reporters about whether the unemployment data was rigged, but I said that I couldn't believe that was the case because it would eventually be detected and the consequences of being caught would be tremendous. From The Hill:

Farenthold chairs the Oversight subcommittee with jurisdiction over the census. A bureau representative did not respond to a request for comment.

The unemployment rate is calculated by the Labor Department based on survey data of 60,000 households, conducted by the bureau.

The Post report claimed that a census employee fabricated data for survey respondents he could not contact. The employee, Julius Buckmon, told the publication he was told to do so by superiors, and the report claims there were multiple employees doing the same. . . .